John Tortorella is still John Tortorella, but if his first set of public addresses as coach of the Vancouver Canucks is any indication, he's going to take the whole "stop being mean to everyone" thing pretty seriously. If he has any sense of self-preservation, he should.

Speaking on Tuesday, first in an Internet question-and-answer session with fans, then with Vancouver media, Tortorella acknowledged mistakes, noted the need to approach things differently and generally projected a warmer, fuzzier version of the guy who got fired as Rangers coach after wearing out his players and maintaining horrible working relationships with the people who covered them. In the end, that mattered more than the fact that he took New York to the 2012 Eastern Conference finals and 2013 semifinals.

"I do come with some baggage," Tortorella said. "I've made some mistakes along the way. I'm compelled to make this work."

GM Mike Gillis said Tortorella had the demeanor, approach and expectations he was looking for, and that he "had absolutely no concerns"

"At this particular time, it was the voice I wanted to hear," Gillis said—implying that he doesn't want Tortorella to change his stripes, and in the process indicting the relatively laid-back Alain Vigneault, who, ironically enough, replaced Tortorella in New York.

Gillis has noted the need for a "two-way street" between coach and media, and making that navigable is now a major part of Tortorella's job. By the end of his tenure in New York, his tactics with the media were creating problems for the players. And really, short of a PR disaster, that's all that should matter—coach vs. media isn't an issue until it reaches a certain critical mass. Tortorella may have been there—with an assist from his hard-driving style.

Saying over and over in a press conference that Carl Hagelin "stinks" comes to mind. That happened shortly before player exit meetings with GM Glen Sather sealed Tortorella's fate.

"I put a couple of players in bad situations. That's what hit home to me. It will be rectified," Tortorella said.

"This is the mess I put myself into, and it's a mess I need to get out of. But you know what? I'm a pretty good coach, too."

Now he's the coach of a Canadian team, something that clearly was a draw for him. If you question that, for whatever reason, go watch video of the press conference and count how many times he says the word "province." He says he knows what he's getting into—New York was big, but it's not Canada—and that he embraces it, saying that he'd enjoyed speaking to people on walks through the city (that's New Torts).

"The people have been fantastic," Tortorella said. "I understand the pressure of what they want. It's told to me every day by a number of different people when (I) walk to the street—but that's what you want."

"I know how much pressure comes with this, but I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

Other talking points from Tortorella:

— He's focused on developing young players and brought up Hagelin and Derek Stepan as success stories. He's generally right—when he started coaching the Rangers, they were relying largely on old, expensive guys—but in 2013, he failed to figure out a way to work forwards Chris Kreider and J.T. Miller into an offensively brutal lineup. Still, on Tuesday: "I love the kids." That's also New Torts.

— He takes over a talented, veteran team that came within a game of the Stanley Cup. He views himself as the guy who pushes them over the top. "I think it's the next level (the team) needs to get to," Tortorella said. "(My) job is to push athletes to positions and levels that they maybe don't think they can get to."

— He said he spoke to Vigneault throughout the process and predicted big things for him with the Rangers. "He leaves me with a situation that's a pretty good situation," Tortorella. "Yeah, it is a little bizarre … but at this stage of my career, to have this opportunity in Canada, this city, this province, I'm pinching myself."

— He talked a lot about mental toughness—and it's fair to wonder whether that's lacking, given Vancouver's flameouts since the 2011 Cup finals. "It's about getting over just another notch mentally," he said.

— And, of course, he broke out the warm and fuzzies, talking extensively about his work with animal shelters, saying hello to reporters and, at one point, thanking one for asking a question about his dogs. Then, he showed a flash of the guy he's been—and probably still will be, on a smaller scale: "I think if you're a good loser, you're a loser."